Cape Town, 4 April 2025 – A newly published study co-authored by the South African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa (SAAPA-SA), the University of Stirling (UK), and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)/WITS has uncovered significant alcohol industry interference in the delayed promulgation of the Draft Liquor Amendment Bill of 2016. The findings, based on a Freedom of Information request, highlight the extent of industry influence in the legislative process and raise concerns about undue corporate power over public health policy.
On 6 July 2023, the researchers submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) for records related to the Bill from January 2016 to December 2022, including meeting minutes, reports, agreements, and correspondence with stakeholders. NEDLAC provided 56 documents (573 pages), but only five from 2017 and none from 2018 to mid-2020. A follow-up request on 23 November 2023 yielded only duplicate documents with no new records.
The study identified activity by 14 alcohol industry organisations between 2016 and 2022, demonstrating sustained efforts to shape discussions around the Bill. Key findings include:
- Industry representatives were present on five NEDLAC-related committees between 2017 and 2021, facilitating their access to Bill-related discussions and other government departments.
- Community representation in these committees was disproportionately low compared to industry, labour, and government.
- Despite government government-commissioned socio-economic impact assessment being completed, the alcohol industry funded two additional socio-economic assessments in 2017 and 2022. The 2017 report highlighted the positive public health impact of the Bill if it were adopted. This, however, was not taken forward. The 2022 report done by the same company was more critical of the proposed measures, with differing conclusions attributed to varying methodologies.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry used a ‘carrot and stick’ approach, employing both legal threats and donations in an attempt to secure self-regulation through a ‘social compact’ deal.
- NEDLAC confirmed in 2023 that the proposed social compact was unsuccessful.
“Despite the ongoing and persistent alcohol related harm that costs the country between 10-12% of GDP annually, there has been no movement to send the Draft Liquor Amendment Bill to Parliament for promulgation. The continued stagnation of this crucial public health legislation raises urgent concerns about governance and the prioritisation of commercial interests over public well-being,” said SAAPA-SA General Secretary, Mrs Aadielah Maker Diedericks.
Professor Susan Goldstein from the SAMRC/WITS PRICELESS unit says that the “non-passage of the law will continue to affect communities troubled by a high density of alcohol outlets reported in another study conducted by the SAMRC and SAAPA-SA on alcohol availability and GBV.” The recent High Court judgment in two separate cases makes a direct link between the availability of alcohol and the murders of two women. Makhanda High Court Judge Govindjee, in February 2025, reiterated that the Minister of Health must add a health warning label outlining alcohol’s direct link to gender-based violence (GBV).
Dr Gemma Mitchell (University of Stirling, UK) says that ‘our research uncovered tactics similar to those being used in other parts of the world.” SAAPA-SA and its partners call on the government to reconfigure NEDLAC processes, limit the role of industry in policy and legislative processes, and establish clearer guidelines for public health input and representation.
Furthermore, SAAPA-SA highlights that the continued delays and stalling tactics employed by Big Alcohol are leading to the loss of thousands of lives in South Africa due to alcohol-related harms, including motor vehicle accidents and injuries, stabbings, murder, gender-based violence (GBV), intimate partner violence (IPV), and substance use disorder.
“We and our coalition partners (HEALA, People’s Health Movement South Africa, Rural Health Advocacy Project, Health Tax Alliance) call on the government to expedite the legislative process and prevent further undue influence from the alcohol industry. The delay in passing the Bill undermines the country’s efforts to address alcohol-related harms, including violence, road traffic crashes, and economic costs associated with alcohol abuse,” said Maker Diedericks.
SAAPA and its civil society and public health research partners call into question the alcohol industry’s role in impact assessments and public health policy formulation should be reconsidered globally, and it should be viewed as a (transnational) commercial actor, rather than the social partner it is described as within NEDLAC locally. “Just as alcohol is no ordinary commodity, the industry is no ordinary stakeholder in matters related to public health,” said Maker Diedericks.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Mr. Julian Jacobs, SAAPA-SA, +2761917 9661
Additional background information for news editors:
South Africa has one of the highest per capita alcohol consumption rates among drinkers, with heavy episodic drinking prevalent, especially among young males. Alcohol-related harms disproportionately affect lower-income groups, exacerbating the country’s extreme economic inequality. Sub-Saharan Africa is a key growth market for the alcohol industry due to high abstention rates, rapid population growth, urbanisation, and weak adoption of WHO-recommended alcohol control policies. In 2017, global retail alcohol sales exceeded $1.5 trillion, with profits concentrated in a few transnational corporations. Like other unhealthy commodity industries, the alcohol industry resists evidence-based policies, favouring self-regulation that prioritises commercial interests over public health.
While the industry contributes to employment and exports, alcohol-related harms cost an estimated 10–12% of South Africa’s 2009 GDP. The Draft Liquor Amendment Bill 2016 proposed new restrictions on alcohol advertising, availability, and liability of retailers and manufacturers for harm related to any contravention of the regulations. To date, the Bill has not progressed through the legislative process. The alcohol industry is known to use a diverse set of strategies to delay evidence-based policies globally.
Additionally, SAAPA-SA calls for harmonising all alcohol legislation at local, provincial, and national levels to ensure that all South African communities enjoy the same right to safety. They also emphasise that alcohol consumption contributes to 3 million deaths annually worldwide, exacerbating disabilities and poor health for millions of people.
SAAPA-SA and its partners call on the government to expedite the legislative process and prevent further undue influence from the alcohol industry. The delay in passing the Bill undermines efforts to address alcohol-related harms, including violence, road traffic crashes, and economic costs associated with alcohol abuse.